IT IS a mission accomplished in Region 8 as all the major DPWH Build, Build, Build projects in Eastern Visayas are now near completion, including the multi-billion Leyte sea wall that is expected to be “substantially completed by next year”. Secretary Mark Villar claimed this with certainty during a visit to Tacloban City last week.
Aside from the over 33-kilometer Leyte sea surge embankment that stretches from the coasts of Tacloban city to the coastal lines of neighboring towns of Palo and Tanauan, Villar’s Build, Build, Build achievement portfolio in the region includes the now completed six-lane Palo West Bypass; the Tacloban City Bypass road stretching from Nulatula north to Caibaan south;
The ongoing construction of 33-kilometer, a six-lane expressway that is expected to decongest traffic along Tacloban-Babatngon Road going to Tacloban City shortening travel time from 1.5 hours to only 45 minutes; and several more major infrastructure projects in Mahaplag in Leyte, Maasin City in Southern Leyte, in Ormoc City and in Samar and Northern Samar provinces.
Leyte sea wall
Secretary Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways said he is certain that the PHP9.62 billion Leyte sea surge embankment project shall be completed before President Rodrigo Duterte steps down next year.
The sea wall was constructed to shield Leyte coastal communities from destructive waves and to prevent another Yolanda scale of death and destruction from happening again as what happened in Super Typhoon Yolanda disaster in November 2013 that killed over 6000 people.
The final phases of the construction are in full swing as all issues have now been settled, PNA quoted Villar to have said.
“This will protect 33,000 residents from gigantic waves based on 50 years. The government prioritized this project so as not to repeat the damage caused by calamities similar to Super Typhoon Yolanda,” Villar said in a statement.
The design of the massive sea wall is drawn from a storm surge stimulation with a 50-year return period. The infrastructure also includes stretches of coastal road, a promenade, a bicycle lane, an early warning tower, a view deck, and a fish landing. According to Secretary Villar, the 33.7 square kilometers embankment will serve as an effective shield to at least 33,185 houses in Tacloban, Palo, and Tanauan coastlines.
“As of June this year, the project is already 80.37 percent complete with the release of PHP6.13 billion funds,” the PNA reports claimed.
Palo West Bypass Road
The now partly opened 2.9-kilometer Palo West Bypass highway which connects Tacloban and Palo has now significantly reduced to 15 minutes the usual 30-minute travel time, unclogging significantly traffic at the junction of Palo-Carigara-Ormoc road and Daang Maharlika-Tacloban-Baybay South Road-Government Center Road Network, with more or less 1,500 motorists daily benefiting the highway.
The six-lane wide highway also includes the construction of two bridges–the 20.8-meter Caloogan Bridge and the 48.80-meter Bangon Bridge.
Tacloban City Bypass Road and Extension
More or less, 1,000 motorists daily are now benefiting from the newly opened Tacloban City Bypass Road stretching from Barangay Nula-Tula in North Tacloban to Barangay Caibaan down south along Daang Maharlika. The road network includes a portion of massive slope protection infrastructure that has become now an attraction to motorists, who would often stop at the area to take selfies and photos.
Meanwhile, the Tacloban City Bypass Road of which construction has now begun is expected to reduce travel time from Babatngon in Leyte to Tacloban City from 1.5 hours travel to only 45 minutes. The 33-kilometer six-lane expressway will decongest traffic along Tacloban-Babatngon Road going to Tacloban City and will complement the proposed international seaport that will be constructed in the northern Leyte town.
Other high impact infrastructures
Supplementing to the rather impressive accomplishment of DPWH under Villar’s leadership through its aggressive Build, Build, Build program includes the 48.20-kilometer Mahaplag-Hilongos Road stretching from Barangay San Isidro, Mahaplag, Leyte along Daang Maharlika down to Barangay San Roque in Hilongos, Leyte along Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte Road. The new road network reduces travel time from Maasin City to Tacloban City from four hours to only 1.5 hours.
Another significant infrastructure is the 4.7-kilometer Maasin Coastal Bypass Road, which connects Tomas Oppus Street to Maasin City Port to Boundary Southern Leyte-Maasin-Macrohon-Daang Maharlika Road.
In Ormoc City, a 4.3-kilometer Diversion Road will speed up movement of people, goods and services between Barangay San Juan and Naungan in Ormoc City.
In Alang-alang, a Leyte town, a 12-kilometer road project has been included in “ROLL IT,” a convergence program between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which aims to improve access to areas with processing activities or raw materials.
In Northern Samar, the San Roque Bypass road which as of date is already near completion includes the construction of a 2.4-kilometer concrete road, and a 450-square meter concrete bridge, this, as the 4.32-kilometer Calbayog City Coastal Road in Samar if done will help minimize traffic congestion in the city.
These tangible infrastructure headways in the region add up to what the administration now calls the “golden age of infrastructure” nationwide under President Duterte.
The public works and highways department had rolled out about P9 trillion for roads, bridges, and transportation systems for the past five years, and hopes to spend the remaining massive funding until his term ends in 2022.